Kishi as idyllic location in Russian prose of 1970's

The article examines specific features representing Kizhi Island in the Russian prose of the 1970’s. This ‘‘idyllic’’ mode of Kizhi Island’s representation is implemented through the poetization and idealization of this specific geographic location by means of fairy tale, mythological or pastoral motifs and lyrical digressions, which create the image of “the Eden of the North”. In this article, we analyze the works of V. Pulkin, I. Strelkova, and A. Zhitinsky as examples of the established idyllic pattern in depicting Kizhi Island. Literary sources demonstrate that in the 1970’s this idyllic approach became the dominant and mandatory literary tool used by all the authors describing the island ‘‘by default’’. This can be explained by some specific characteristics of the geographic area itself, such as the perfect balance between nature and culture, which was embedded in the world famous architectural ensemble of Kizhi Island; or the isolated location of the island, which distinguishes it from surrounding environment.